Today I’m going to tell you about a technique in cooking which is pressure cooking. I’m also placing a recipe of chickpeas made in the pressure cooker (super easy) and home-made humus. So if you still haven’t decided to buy a pressure cooker, I hope that after reading this post you do, it is really practical for a lot of things :)!

We know as a basic principle that what this technique does is to cook food faster and in a more efficient way. But why is it faster?

In cities where there’s higher altitudes, such as Cuzco for example which is at 3,800 metres over the sea, there’s a lower pressure and so, water boils at lower temperatures (91ºC). Well, with a pressure cooker, what is accomplished is the opposite. The temperature at which water boils is higher due to a high pressure being applied. Hence, food is cooked at a faster rate.

A pressure cooker is a special pot that seals tightly and traps hot steam to build the pressure and temperature. Food is heated above boiling point, at temperatures around 120ºC/250ºF. This would be equivalent to boiling water with an opened pot at 5,800 metres below sea level. Recent designs regulate now even better the pressure and work better thna those that have a “weight regulator”, and they also assure that the pot won’t reach unsafe pressures. So for those of you that live in Lima, there’s a good offer in Groupon with a 31% discount to buy a good pressure cooker. You can find it in this link: aquí.

Ok, so this is a small post. It’s a huge recommendation though, so anyone who lives in Madrid, or is planning a trip soon, keep this place in mind!!

Restaurante Street de David Muñoz

I want to recommend you all to go to Street. This is in Metro Callao, on the last floor of the “El Corte Inglés”. The Chef is David Muñoz from DiverXO restaurant, recently won his second Michelin star, with a looong waiting list, and more importantly, everyone is talking about him because what he is doing, and how he works with the product. I will go there soon I hope!

So Street is easier to go, and cheaper. It has a super cool energy, with music on, there’s a chaotic energy going on that makes you feel comfortable and that you know it still is really professional. The menu has 6 plates and they also have daily recommendations as well.

So that’s it. Really positive place. Here are the pics of the plates I had with my friends Gabriel and Yhanto when we took a trip to Madrid a few weeks ago.

So, I realize it’s time for me to share this recipe with you. I learned how to make tortilla de patatas not in Spain, but in the states, almost 10 years ago, where I met y friend Juanjo who taught me how to do it. By then, I didn’t even got why he had such a big amount of olive oil. Now of course, I get it completely and I follow his steps. Anyway here it goes, eaaasy and delicious. I’m also gonna tip you which is for me the best place to eat it in Madrid, and that’s at Jose Luis, it’s fantastic.

Important: the potatoes are cooked slowly in oil at low temperature. They are neither fried or cooked first in water, or anything like that. Patience always adds flavour!!